GSAC Adds Mount Mary, UC Santa Cruz as Affiliated Members in the Sport of Tennis

Jan 22, 2014

ATLANTA – Mount Mary University and the University of California Santa Cruz have each accepted an invitation to join the Great South Athletic Conference (GSAC) as affiliated members for the sport of women's tennis.

Both the Blue Angels and Banana Slugs will compete for the 2014 GSAC Women's Tennis Championship this April on the campus of Agnes Scott College.

"The Great South Athletic Conference is thrilled to announce the additions of Mount Mary and UC Santa Cruz to our league in the sport of women's tennis," said GSAC commissioner Joeleen Akin. "With their dedication to maintaining high academic standards while fostering top-notch athletic competition, they were natural fits to join for this sport to give us seven schools competing for the conference title."

Mount Mary and UC Santa Cruz will join existing members Agnes Scott College, Mills College, Salem College, Wesleyan College and Trinity Washington University to vie for conference supremacy in the sport of tennis.

Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mount Mary University is an urban Catholic university for women sponsored by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. Mount Mary University expresses its mission on their web site as "a diverse learning community that works in partnership with local, national and global organizations to educate women to transform the world."

Based in Santa Cruz, California, UC Santa Cruz is described as a "campus with world-class facilities and one of the most visually spectacular settings in higher education. UC Santa Cruz provides unparalleled opportunities for students to learn through hands-on experience. A commitment to environmental stewardship and community engagement are also central to UCSC's core values."

Founded in 1999 as a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III member institutions, the GSAC member schools bear similar academic and athletic interests. The GSAC currently sponsors the women's sports of cross country, soccer, volleyball, basketball, softball and tennis. The participating institutions are located in California (Mills College and UC Santa Cruz), Geor­gia (Agnes Scott College and Wesleyan College), North Carolina (Salem College), Maine (Maine at Presque Isle), Massachusetts (Pine Manor College), Michigan (Finlandia University), Washington D.C. (Trinity Washington University) and Wisconsin (Mount Mary University).